Ex-All Black Sam Whitelock Swaps Rugby for Dairy Farming
Returning to the family dairy farm after playing 20 years of professional rugby around the world is no easy task.
OPINION: When I hung up my boots and stepped back onto the farm, I left behind a world where belonging was built in every day. In professional rugby, we are in each other’s pockets. We wear the same jersey, speak the same language, and rely on each other on the pitch.
Moving back into farming was a massive shift for me, both in routine and identity. Because out on the farm you can spend a lot of hours by yourself, in your own head.
Moving back into farming was a massive shift for me, both in routine and identity. Because out on the farm you can spend a lot of hours by yourself, in your own head.
The trouble is, farm life is flat out. Between calving, milking, weather and the endless daily tasks, there’s always a reason to keep your head down. We tell ourselves we’ll pop over to see a neighbour once things quieten down, but in farming, things rarely do. If you wait for free time to connect, it won’t happen. You have to make getting off the block a deliberate choice and a regular habit.
That’s one thing sports taught me - the value of a bit of team commitment. If you sign up for a local team, you turn up; if you don’t show, the team is short and can’t play. That positive bit of pressure forces me to put down the tools and get off the farm once a week. Running around a social netball court is good fun and great exercise, but more than that, it’s a genuine protective factor for my own mental health. It gets me out of my own head, builds my sense of belonging in the local community, and burns off a bit of steam. And we always have a good laugh.
Looking out for each other doesn’t need to be a heavy conversation either. I never pick up the phone and think, right, I’m going to go increase someone’s sense of wellbeing today. It’s simpler than that. It’s sending a quick text. It’s pulling the ute over for five minutes when you spot a neighbour out by the fence line. It’s just letting people know they are on your radar.
With Mental Health Awareness Week this year focusing on ‘Belonging Matters’, it’s a good reminder for our rural community. We don’t have to wait for a crisis to happen to pop in across the road. Keeping up those simple, everyday connections is what holds our communities together and makes sure none of us are walking the paddock alone.
Belonging Matters
Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 runs nationwide from 12 - 18 October around the theme Belonging Matters. Visit mhaw.nz to access ideas, free resources, events and find simple ways to connect in your workplace or community. Farmstrong is a nationwide, rural wellbeing programme that helps people manage the ups and downs of farming and growing. Last year, 20,000 farmers attributed an increase in their wellbeing to the programme. For free, farmer-to-farmer tools and resources head to farmstrong.co.nz
